Eating Buenos Aires: Pizza, Fugazzetta & Empanadas at El Cuartito

So you’re in Buenos Aires. Well, you’ve got to eat like a Porteño and go get yourself some pizza. You weren’t expecting that now, were you?

El Cuartito has been making pizza in downtown Buenos Aires since 1934. Not just any ole pizza, they serve the pizza peculiar to Buenos Aires, the fugazzetta (or fugazza con queso).

Fugazzetta at El Cuartito

Why pizza? There was a huge influx of Italian immigrants, particularly from Genoa in the 19th and 20th centuries to Argentina. Now, 25 million Argentines are of Italian descent (that is up to 60% of the total population). So, this naturally has had an enormous influence. There are Italian restaurants and pizzerias all over Buenos Aires, and El Cuartito is one of the old standards.

El Cuartito

Why go?

It’s brusque, big and noisy and fun. Bustling and joyful, I loved it. Eat at the counter or queue for a table. Either way, you will be having a proper local experience.

El Cuartito

The fugazetta is a slightly insane extremely rich deep cheese and onion pizza. If you eat a whole one I will clap you on the back and then call the ambulance. A couple of slices though, particularly at the end of the night, is heavenly. You haven’t been to Buenos Aires if you haven’t tried the fugazzetta.

El Cuartito

Empanadas are very good. Try the spicy beef one and the jamon y queso one.

El Cuartito

They serve fainá, a traditional chickpea based flatbread. You have to try that too.

El Cuartito

So go, and love it as much as I did. And don’t make the same mistake as me, have the dulce de leche flan. The fugazzetta and empanadas floored me and I couldn’t face it. In my defence, I had had a big lunch and dinner!

Am lovingly bookmarking all of these. Just decided to swing past BA in December on way back to Sydney for a wedding. Ok, not really on the way, but looks far too good not to squeeze a trip in at some point.

Love the blog – and El Cuartito looks amazing. Not sure though that the fugazzetta, not to mention the queso empanadas, let alone the dulce de leche is really going to help me in my quest to convince my food loving but dairy allergic girlfriend that BA should be at the very top of our dream destination list.

If you’re interested, or bored, with too much time to kill and need the distraction, check out my blog on the whole cooking for a food loving but dairy allergic girlfriend (and myself, of course) on my blog, Food is Good, here: http://sebastianroach.blogspot.com/

I can’t eat much dairy either and have to take lots of enzymes. Allergies are more severe. However, really, can eat very well here with no dairy at Parrillas (steakhouses) and Peruvian Ceviche places :)

I am glad have trained myself to eat dinner before I read your BA posts. The fugazetta sounds like a heart-attack on a plate in the best kind of way. Do you think it is like the German Flammekuchen? (also cheese/onion/dough – just not so thick and creamy)…

Greetings from another Londoner (ish) who is also in Bs. As. at the moment. I was told by a foodie friend on Twitter that you’re also in the area and that I should check out your posts!

I really love fugazetta pizza and empanadas so that’s what’s been making up my non-breakfast meals. Unfortunately, I don’t have much time to go out and eat, as I am here to learn tango, but just thought I’d drop in and say hi. :)

Hi Niamh,
This post was one of the first to show up when I typed fugazzetta into google! I just mentioned it in my friday feature on my blog and wanted something to link to. Thanks for writing it! And maintaining this great food blog :)
My boyfriend is argentinian, and makes fugazzetta – it’s amazing!
Best,
Katie